Sweden supports the partcipation of developing countries in the on-going work of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) to develop a single global carbon footprint standard.

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Danish aid to Pakistan war zone, Swedish decision pending

Denmark has allocated its first-ever aid package to Pakistan this year as part of the effort to combat terrorism and bring security to the border areas with Afghanistan. Sweden is also considering a development grant; its first since aid was frozen a decade ago in protest over Pakistan's nuclear tests.

During its EU Presidency, Sweden has tidied up in the wilderness of policies for democracy support in the EU system.

Donors have given a chilly reception to an index that ranks their performance in the humanitarian field. They object to being compared publicly and question the index’s methodology.

Through its recent engagement in tropical forest issues, Norway has championed the rights of indigenous peoples. But when it comes to hydropower interests, the tone is quite different.

Western politicians engaged in providing aid to political parties often have “uneasy relations” with aid officials at home. A Finnish review argues that aid to political parties is not so unique that normal standards for aid have to be sacrificed.

EU agenda for democracy support

The EU Agenda for Action on Democracy Support in EU External Relations states that it aims to improve the coherence and effectiveness of democracy support, not to introduce new conditionality for EU aid.